Adan Canto, the Mexican singer and actor best known for his roles in X-Men: Days of Future Past and Agent Game, as well as the TV series The Cleaning Lady, has died aged 42.
Publicist Jennifer Allen told The Associated Press Canto died of appendiceal cancer and had opted to keep his diagnosis private.
“Adan had a depth of spirit that few truly knew. Those who glimpsed it were changed forever,” Ms Allen wrote in a statement.
“He will be greatly missed by so many.”
Canto is survived by his wife Stephanie Ann Canto and two children, Roman Alder, 3, and Eve Josephine, who is 18 months old.
Born in Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico and raised in Texas, Canto began his career at age 16, when he left home for Mexico City to work as a singer-songwriter.
He then began pursuing acting, making his TV debut on the 2009 Mexican series Estado de Gracia. His American debut came later, on Kevin Williamson’s 2013 Fox drama series The Following, which starred Kevin Bacon.
His notable roles include vice-president-elect Aaron Shore on Designated Survivor, Colombian politician Rodrigo Lara Bonilla on Narcos, and the mutant Sunspot in X-Men: Days of Future Past. Canto starred in Halle Berry’s directorial debut, Bruised, as well as 2022 action thriller Agent Game.
He also directed his first short film in 2014 and a second one in 2020, a provocative western starring Theo Rossi.
At the time of his death, Canto was starring as Armand Morales on Fox’s The Cleaning Lady, which is currently filming its third season.
He was unable to participate in the production due to his illness but was hoping to rejoin later in the season.
Canto had a broad smile and a boisterous laugh. His friends said he also had a sensitivity and humility that could seem at odds with the big frame and square jaw of a leading man.
Many of Canto’s co-stars and peers have paid tribute to the late actor.
Kiefer Sutherland, who stared alongside Canto on Designated Survivor, shared this on his Instagram page.
“It seems lately I have had to make too many posts like this one, but I am heartbroken by the loss of Adan Canto. He was such a wonderful spirit,” Sutherland wrote.
(ABC)
